Despite the fact that this blog is focused on my coverage of the protests in Israel, it goes without saying that what happens in Israel is inextricably tied with what happens in the surrounding nations.
That being said, I would like to tell you about an op/ed piece I'm co-authoring with a fellow student.
I am Jewish. She is Muslim. I am American with strong ties to Israel. She is Syrian and living in America.
We are friends. We can laugh our asses off together. We respect each other. A lot.
To some intellectuals out there, this isn't a shocking statement on any level. But there is a very large community out there (or number of communities) that find a friendship such as this one treasonous. Even worse, the fact that we dare criticize our respective religious communities for what we view as indoctrination to hate...well, that should get us a first class ticket to hell--or something like that.
We plan to write the article in such a way that no one can tell whose words are whose. In our mind, we are one force coming together to bring attention to a problem that affects us, equally--even if the actual ways in which we are affected differ.
When my friend asked me to co-author this with her, it never once crossed my mind not to. To me, we were stating the obvious: The Jewish and Arab communities (especially in the Middle East) are often told from a very young age that 'the other side' is their sworn enemy and wants them dead. Sure, there actually are people who want me dead for being Jewish and want her dead for being Syrian and Muslim. But it's not the entire demographic on either side. That's absurd.
We realize that the governments of all respective nations under critique play a large role in keeping all sides from talking. She can't go to Israel and be allowed back to her family's home in Syria. I can't go to Syria and be allowed into Israel again. We would be considered traitors. Creating a dialogue makes you a traitor. Funny how that works.
So, back to southern California. Here we are, about to write this article which will be published in our university newspaper, and all we can think about (and nervously laugh about) is all the hate mail we are sure to receive--and we know that a lot of it will come from our own communities. How dare we bed with the enemy? Don't you know that's your enemy and nothing will ever change?
At best we'll be deemed "silly, emotional, idealistic, girls."
We know that we'll touch on a nerve much deeper than that, though. We know that there are certain people who may read this and truly want us dead. My friend's family is already on her case about being friends with an Israeli (another girl she knows)...they joke that she must be a spy, how else can she stand to talk to such a person?
The worst thing I face is some disapproving wing-nuts from the most conservative parts of my community and concern from my family for my well-being. My friend faces a lot more.
She said something today that really stuck with me. She said, "People will want to kill me for this and other things I write. I don't care. These things need to be said and I will be the one to say them publicly."
She is what journalism should be about. She is brave. She is not my enemy.
